James west



No. 6|3,872. Patented Nov. 8, |898. J. WEST.

TRIGGER NIEGHANISM FUR FIREARMS.

(Applicatian led June l17, 189B.)

(N0 Model.)

a a A: n...

d c' "J I UNrraD STATES Partnr Ottica.

JAMES WEST, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR FIREARNIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,872, dated November 8, 1898.

v Application nea June 17,1898. serai 110.683.717. (Nomen.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES WEST, mechanical engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 39 Highbury Grove, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Trigger Devices for Small-Arms, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to safety-trigger devices suitable more particularly for magazineries having a bolt action-such, for example, as the Lee-Metford rifle.

According to the said invention the rear end or cooking-piece of the firing-pin is provided with a safety guard or hood arranged when the ring-pin is cocked to lie over the end of the trigger, which latter is fitted in a recess in the top of the stock in a position where it can be readily operated by the thumb.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the same fully by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure v1 is a side View, partly in section, of the lock part of a rifle provided with my improvements, showing the parts in the cocked position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions they assume after. tiring. Fig. 3 isa rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

. A is the stock of the rifle; B, the breechbolt; C, the tlring-pinLand D the magazine.

a. is the safety guard or hood, which is preferably formed in one with the cocking-piece b and is of sufficient size to admit of the end of the thumb being inserted into it. The outer surface of this hood is preferably roughened by grooving or scoring it.

c is the thumb-trigger, which has a thumbpiece or button d. at one end thereof whereby it can be depressed for firing. The said trigger is pivoted at e and is bent or cranked at f, so that the portion between CZ and f is praci tically parallel with the top surface of the' stock A and fits in a recess g therein. At the part of the trigger indicated by f is provided a nose or catch h, adapted to engage corresponding catches t' and la on a tail or extension l of the cocking-piece. The catchi cbrresponds to the half-cock position and is of i hook shape, so that the nose h enters it and by its engagement therewith prevents the trigger being depressed. The other catch k, which corresponds to the full-cock position, is so formed that it simply abvuts against the nose h, and thus presents no'obstacle to the depression of the trigger.

m is a magazine-trigger of the ordinary kind for the purpose of retaining the magazine D in position and for permitting its re'- lease when desired.

n is a U-shaped spring situated between and serving to operate the two triggers.

o is a small set-screw for preventing the cooking-piece from turning on the iiring-pin C.

The action of the device will be readily understood from an inspection of Fig. 1, wherein the hood or guard a is in the full-cock position, and will be seen to be situated directly over the thumb-piece or button d, so that it prevents the said thumb-piece being acci- Avdentall y depressed, as access to it'can only be had from the rear or open end of the hood or guard. When, however, the thumb is inserted, a very slight downward pressure thereof on the button will be sufficient to release the trigger, and such downward pressure will be balanced by the upward pressure of the fingers when the stock is grasped, as in ring. There is thus very little chance of the rifle being thrown out of aim, and consequently increased accuracy of tire is attained.

` What I claim is 1. In a firearm, the combination with a trigger having a thumb-piece on the upper side of the stock, of a firing-pin carrying a hood adapted to lie over said thumb-piece when the firing-pin is in a cocked position, substantially as described.

2. In a rearm, the combination with a trigger having a thumb-piece on the upper side of the stock, of a firing-pin, and a combined thumb-guard and cooking-piece carried by said firing-pin, said guard being adapted to 

